Blue Note Subscription Series

The whole thing is so bizarre to me...like really out-of-touch with reality.

 

That's what happening when the marketing department is staffed by squares.

 

Not to be disagreeable but I would never spend one-tenth of a second justifying why I like jazz to anyone, especially people who have no first-hand experience with the music who have settled on thinking of jazz through the colored lens of pop culture stereotypes.

It just seems like they’re trying to create a slogan for people who like jazz but are surrounded by insufferably square people who judge people who like jazz. Most of my friends don’t like jazz but they respect my taste 100 percent. And yes, as some have mentioned, this indicates to me (along with the overpriced subscription business model) that it’s being marketed to older jazz fans.

I can totally see and hear Monk doing this...good stuff.

It seems this way to me too.

 

If I ever sneak into the BN vaults and get caught, I will tell them: "Jazz is not a crime"

 

Make sure you've got your scarf on to keep warm down in those vaults.

 

So the box includes the 2-LP comp, also on two CDs, the Blue Mitchell reissue, two Francis Wolff prints, a magazine, the John Varvatos scarf, and the slip mat. Since the scarf and slip mat don't meet with everyone's approval, I'm curious what extra items Blue Note could have added to complement the music that wouldn't have invited complaints.

 

Honestly I would have probably been in for this at $99 per rather than $200. I don't have complaints about the contents, just the price point.

 

I thought the slipmat with the Blue Note logo was a good idea. As for apparel, I imagine the one-size-fits-all aspect made an item like a scarf appealing but IDK, a scarf? I just think that no matter how cool the brand, putting the logo on something won’t necessarily make that thing cool, cuz there’s a lot of corny branded merchandise out there in my opinion. How about a winter hat in ‘blue note blue’ with the logo embroidered in white? Blue Note socks could be cool too.

 

It's amusing that so many people have a hard time with the concept of a scarf. People do wear them, along with a myriad of other clothing items that aren't t-shirts and hats.

 

I would like to advise my statement above: yes, Blue Note socks would be cool but just like scarves they have no place in an LP box set package.

 

I decided I am not in for this. No box would be perfect. I am looking at my boxsets now and figuring how to rearrange stuff. Just charge $75-100 subscription quarterly for an AAA gatefold reissue and I am in. No extras. It's that simple.

PS: I sorta like the Vinyl Me Please Blue Notes. Likely from Digital but they don't take up room. Flame suit is going on.

 

Fremer has a review and suspects the Blue Mitchell was cut from digital.

Blue Note's Bi-Annual Blue Note Review Box Set Reviewed

 

Fremer wasn’t too happy with the mastering job on the Blue Mitchell LP. That would have been the selling point for me.

Why not have Bernie Grundman cut the lacquers for this LP?

 

Or Kevin Gray, he's done dozens of them. Clearly common sense isn't so common.

 

Grundman cut the lacquers for the double album in the box.

 

These are a little, er, frumpy for my taste but it would have been difficult getting that image on to a thong.

 

It looks like he's updated/revised his first article based on having received the actual boxed set. While I don't always agree with his opinions I do trust his thoughts on SQ and this pretty much puts the kibosh on this entire series for me:

"This unfortunately does not sound at all like a Music Matters or Analogue Productions Blue Note reissue nor does it sound like a Blue Note original of that era. Instead it's somewhat hard on top—too hard to turn up the level to where you'd like it to be—and at any level the bass has gone missing. I've never heard so little bass on a Blue Note of that era. Damn disappointing. In addition, while the jacket is paper on cardboard, it's not of Stoughton Press quality nor is it laminated."

AAA or not, that's not good news for any Jazz and BN fan. Jazz may not be a crime but putting this album out with these results is a crime.

 

It's not winter or cold everywhere.

 

I received these the other day, the final 3 Prestige Stereo titles, $105 delivered. No questions of provenance. No questions of quality. Mr. Was (not Was, Was) needs to hop in his private jet and take a trip to Salina. It gets cold this time of year so he'd better pack a....



I'm not averse to the boxed set idea or extra goodies, in fact the Francis Wolff prints are very cool and hopefully of high enough quality that they are frame-worthy. I'd be happy to display those in the listening/music room. So, how about two tiers:
1) Basic Subscription series ala Music Matters and Analogue Productions at ~$35 per album.
2) Deluxe Subscription series including some tasteful and pertinent extras such as the Wolff prints at ~$50 per album.
Plus, each subscriber gets a yearly bonus gift at time of sign up/renewal, say maybe a Blue Note branded record brush or a Blue Note "Now Playing" record stand.

And please, only 2 titles per year? At least a single monthly release would keep folks "on the hook" (see "Fishing" reference, gawd they should pay me for this stuff) and looking forward to what's coming. More important than ever with the demise of Music Matters and no more Analogue Production BN titles.

So:
Basic Sub = $420 (boy was that a coincidence )
Deluxe Sub = $600
Billed at time of shipping.
More revenue for the company and more "brand loyalty" because they are in front of their customers more frequently.

Hello Mr. Was? Your plane is waiting.

 

A 2LP compilation that I don't care about, and a single LP reissue of a classic album. Plus ephemera. For $200.

I don't see that as a good value.

 

RE: Scarves

You guys have it all wrong. Everyone is assuming that it's for you. In reality it's what's called a "Conflict Prevention Device" (CPD) intended for the buyer's significant other (SO).

Here's how it works. When the Blue Note box arrives and you open it your SO will immediately say: "How much was that?" You reply: "Oh, about $200." Just as your SO is about to explode and question your sanity you quickly open the set, extract the scarf and present it to them saying: "But it's for both of us!".

Optionally, those who have the luxury of receiving the set before said SO has a chance to see it can open the box, remove the scarf, wrap it separately, close the box back up and when their SO arrives they find two packages: one for you and one for them.

Conflict prevented and scarf put to good use.

 

Not only is that mat tag-line by Ryan Adams derivative and devoid of relevancy but I can't help thinking that the graphic design is a ripoff. Possibly intentional considering the target market?

 

Sorry to rub this in folks but the Jazz Is Not a Crime thing is incredibly odd to me. I think most people will think of it as a spinoff of “skateboarding is not a crime”, so who is this being marketed toward, people who used to be into punk and alternative but now are starting to ‘grow up’ and open up to the possibility of liking more ‘mature’ music like jazz, who need just a slight nudge in the direction of jazz by way of a saying that resonated with them 25 years ago when they were wearing cardigan sweaters and wallet chains? Or is it for, uh, jazz fans?

I’m kidding. But the whole presentation is not at all subtle about what type of music fan they’re aiming for, and dare I say it’s not the ‘average jazz fan’.

 

A shame Fremer doesn't mention the other thing the Blue Mitchell album doesn't sound like: the crappy original pressing from 1980. This album was no released at the time it was recorded, and while I haven't heard the Japanese versions of Step Lightly, none of the Blue Notes that were part of this series in the US sound particularly good. The new version is a vast improvement, and maybe it's just that I'm using vintage gear instead of a $$$$ system like Fremer, but I don't get his comment about the hardness on top or the lack of bass. I'll give it another listen tonight, but I'd read his review but receiving the box set, and I was very pleasantly surprised. His comments about the jacket are a little ridiculous, too, because no, it's not a Stoughton jacket, but it's still higher quality than 95% of the jackets used for records today.

Some other thoughts on the box:

The cork slip mat is nice quality, regardless of what it says. The Francis Wolff prints are nice, but neither are images I'd be in a hurry to display. The scarf is covered with peace symbols, not the Blue Note "b" and it's nice for what it is. For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, John Varvatos does quality work. His shop in New York's bower is actually in the former home of legendary club CBGBs. (Another punk connection, I suppose – and it's not "used to be into punk and alternative," it's "into jazz as well as punk and alternative." Not everybody has tunnel vision when it comes to music.) I wouldn't wear it, as it's not my style, but I could see it looking good on the right person. The compilation album was surprisingly enjoyable. The newsletter is an interesting read and well-put together, and the box itself is cloth bound and lovely.

 

John Varvatos is a known audiophile: